Upperdark

The Upperdark extends from the surface to a depth of about 3

miles. Varied races inhabit this region, including chitines, drow,

Scouts from deeper races often venture into the Upperdark

in order to trade with (or prey on) the races native to this area.

The Upperdark’s main import from the surface is slaves.

Slavers from evil-aligned cities in the Upperdark make frequent

forays into the light to capture new slaves for use as either labor

or food. They also trade for textiles, grains, fruit, and weapons.

Their exports include raw ore, refined metals, gems, and native

Travel in the Upperdark is relatively easy. Multiple paths to a

single point usually exist, thanks to millennia of natural processes,

volcanic activity, burrowing creatures, and various races cutting

trails through the rock. In most places the surrounding earth is

composed of rock, but near the surface, tunnels can be hewn out

of tightly packed dirt, allowing creatures with burrow speeds that

can’t cut through rock to blaze their own trails in a pinch.

Surviving in the Upperdark

Survival checks made to hunt, forage, and avoid natural hazards in

the Upperdark use the same DCs as normal surface conditions. Basic

amenities such as light, air, food, and water are less available in the

Upperdark than on the surface, but they are common enough.

Luminescent flora and faerzress provide occasional light,

though not consistently enough to allow a creature without darkvision

to travel without an independent light source. Vents from

the surface keep air fresh and moving in the passages, so air quality

is rarely an issue. Enormous underground lakes spread across

hundreds of miles in some regions, and water trickles down from

the surface in many others. Many water sources are guarded or

fouled, but quite a few are both clean and open for anyone to use.

Many different types of wild fungi are edible, and the Underdark

equivalent of small game (rats, dire rats, lizards, and giant

vermin) can easily be found in the tunnels. Domesticated

animals, such as deep rothé, can also be found near most major

population centers.

Denizens of the Upperdark

Most Upperdark inhabitants traffic with the surface world in

some way, either trading with or raiding their upstairs neighbors

for things they can’t get in their native habitat. They also trade

with (and raid) each other. No Underdark community is ever

really friendly with another, but Upperdark settlements often

observe wary truces with their neighbors.